Iditarod FAQ - 2012 edition - Part 1

It's been a couple years since the last one of these. I still get asked a lot of the basics, but I want to try and make it more concise. To see the original, go here. This is a replay of some of those, but also some new tidbits.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (the official full title of "The Iditarod") began when a group of mushers - led by Joe Reddington, Sr. - decided to "save the sled dog." With the introduction of airplanes and snowmachines/four wheelers to the state of Alaska, the jobs that were originally given to dog teams were going to the newer technologies. Reddington and his band of buddies were concerned that the lifestyle they loved would disappear forever. Reddington worked tirelessly to begin the world's first long distance sled dog race into existance.



DeeDee Jonrowe's dog "Crush" at
the start of the 2012 Tustumena 200.

The Alaskan Sled Dog is a hearty, but small, breed of dog. There are no strict guidelines into what goes into the breed, nor is there a breeding standard. What makes a sled dog a sled dog is their desire and willingness to pull and run with a team. The Alaskan Malamute is the closest we have to a "standard breed" of sled dog. They are related to the Native Sled Dogs that are basically the starting point for all sled dogs. The best way to describe the racing dog today is: mutt. They are typically 50lbs to 60lbs, are incredibly hyper and high strung, and come in all colors. You will never see an Alaskan Husky in the dog shows like Westminster, they aren't always the prettiest of dog, and - again - there is no standard to the breed. People are typically surprised at the smallness of the dogs - hollywood typically uses Malamutes or Siberian Huskies to portray these amazing athletes in film, because they look better. The dogs look like your typical running athlete, they are thin (but incredibly healthy and well fed), and have thinner/shorter coats than their ancestors. Because they are running hard, the extra fur is not desirable - and mushers have to be sure to care for their team with the proper gear (dogs wear dog coats so that when they aren't running in the sub-zero temperatures they retain their heat). They are bred to keep the pack mentality instinct, and they are loyal and trusting of their mushers.

In 1973, Reddington's dream became a reality when the first Iditarod Sled Dog Race was held. It began the first weekend of March, and followed part of the historic Iditarod Trail and had long ago been used by trappers, goldminers and later the mail route (run by sled dogs). The race runs, mainly, along the same trail as the historic teams ran, but does not complete the entire trail. While Anchorage is the start of the race, Mile 0 of the Iditarod trail is actually in Seward, Alaska. To this day, the only Iditarod team to have traveled from Seward to Nome is 2004 Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey's team when he ran his team from Seward the days before the start of the race in 2001.

In the early years, the race began in Anchorage's Tozier Track and travelled all the way to Nome. However, with the ever growing city's expantion in the late 70s and 80s, the race holds two starts; the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage (from 4th Avenue downtown to the Campbell Airstrip), and the restart at the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla. With Wasilla's growth and expansion, however, in the late 90s the restart was relocated to Willow where it starts from currently. Safety of the teams is first priority and with the growing vehicle traffic in the former cities, Willow was the best solution.

In 2003, due to a lack of snow in the South Central region, the race took a drasticly different route. It was the only year that Fairbanks hosted the start of the race. The teams took another historic route before connecting back to the Iditarod Trail. The race followed, basically, for the first and only time the famed Serum Run route to Nome. The Serum Run happened in 1925 when there was a Diptheria epedemic in Nome and the surrounding villages. Due to extreme weather, the newer technologies of transportation were unable to get the medicine the town so desperately needed. Teams of sled dogs planned a relay to get the medicine to Nome. A train transported the medication as far as Nenana where it was taken by dog sled. It took about six days to get to Nome, and the weather was horrendous. The average temperature was forty below zero, and the wind was so strong it was able to knock over dogs and sleds alike!

Leonhard Seppala & his lead dog Togo.
Togo is the official mascot of the Iditarod Race.

Most famous of the Serum Run was Balto and his musher Gunner. They were the ones that led the medicine into Nome. A little less known - but most heroic - of the story was Togo and Leonhard Seppala. Seppala was the most well known musher of his day - think of him as the Jeff King (considered the "Most winningest musher in history") of his day. He understood the urgency and need for the medication when several others thought more of their lives and their dogs. Seppala and his team, led by Togo, made most of the journey when several mushers backed out. About 80 miles out from Nome, Seppala could go no further. He and his team were exhausted. He had Gunner take a second string of dogs into the city with the medicine. Balto and Gunner weren't exactly rookies to the job, but they were virtual unknowns until their historic finish. They would overshadow Togo and Seppala in the history books, but Togo - not Balto - is the official mascot of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Togo and Balto were both stuffed after death. Balto resides at the Smithsonian, while Togo stands proudly at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters in Wasilla. (By the way, Togo and Seppala not only ran the medicine towards Nome, they ran the trail to go meet up and get the medicine from the previous musher. Over 200 miles over some of the most difficult terrain.)



The Iditarod Sled Dog Race has two trails along the Yukon River, and alternates each year between the two. The Northern Route is run in the even years, and the Southern Route in the odd years. It's said that of the two, the Southern is more difficult because the wind generally comes at your face. The decision to have seperate courses was to allow more of the interior villages the chance to be featured and celebrate the race. The addition of the Southern route also allowed the race to go through the old gold rush town of Iditarod (now a "ghosttown" where only one structure somewhat remains). Iditarod is an Alaska Native word that means "A Great Distance." Iditarod (and Cripple for the Northern route) marks the halfway point of the race, and the first musher to make it into the checkpoint is rewarded with a plaque and $3000 in gold nuggets.

Because of the nature of the trail, and the fact that most of it is only put in for the purpose of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race (as well as the Iron Dog Snowmachine Race and the Iditarod Bike & Run), mileage differs slightly from race to race. The official mileage is 1,049miles (the 49 is a nod to Alaska's being the 49th state) but is normally closer to 1,200 miles when all is said and done. In 2012 it was decided that a major change to the race will occur. For only the second time, the Happy River Steps - feared by Rookies and intimidating to even the most seasoned veterans - will not be part of the race. A new trail was forged for a project in the area, and since its abandonment earlier this year the Iditarod Race Officials have glomped onto it. The reason cited is for the safety of the mushers and their dogs, which is the races' top priority. This change could be permanent.

Check back soon for part two of the series.

Countdown continues to Iditarod 40!

With just twenty four days until the Iditarod runs down fourth avenue for the start of the 40th annual "Last Great Race on Earth" attention turned earlier this week to the official website and the new and improved look and feel. Iditarod Insider has completely taken over the website and the sleek new style promotes what they have to offer.

Iditarod Insider began a few years ago when the Iditarod began to truly embrace the Internet as a way to keep fans connected world wide. It started out with a members only blog and videos - with expert commentary - and later added in the GPS Tracking system that just about every race in Alaska and Canada now uses to promote their race to the masses. Fans can sit at their computer and watch, almost in real time, the action on the trail GPS trackers update every 5 to 20 minutes with the current position and speed of each team, videos are uploaded with interviews of volunteers, mushers and experts talking about the trail they just ran on and what's up ahead. Northern lights, sled dogs, and wildlife are all featured. It brings the race to life in ways that couldn't have been imagined when Joe Reddington Sr. started the race forty years ago.

It was just fifteen years ago that Alaskans were still going to their phones or newspapers for the news on the race. Growing up, I didn't watch the Iditarod on a computer screen. We waited for the newspaper and TV reporters to tell us of the day's events, and if we wanted to know who was at what checkpoint we went to the post office (where they kept an updated checkpoint list) or we could call to race central to find out the latest on our favorite teams. Schools also listed the current stats at the beginning and end of every school day. The race still took close to two weeks, the average of ten days wouldn't happen until I was well into my teen years.

Now they're offering several levels of insider. For free you can log in and play around with many features - but a lot of the stuff is still locked. You can purchase just the GPS for 19.95, or just videos (same price). You can buy both for 33.95. There are other options, but I haven't gone through everything yet.

If you do go to http://www.iditarod.com keep in mind that while the new design is live, they're still fixing some bugs (the biggest one, that I find anyway, is that you can no longer access the volunteer form online). You can always contact the Iditarod through the website or their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/iditarodtrailcommittee .

KIDNAPPED: Samantha Koenig, 18

Movie Review: Big Miracle

It only took twenty five years for Hollywood to tell the story that brought Alaska to the forefront - well before Sarah Palin even dreamed of becoming the Vice President. The story is all Alaskan - three tourists get themselves lost and stuck out in the frigid ice of the Northern most part of the state. Instead of leaving the outsiders to their own fate, Alaskans and outsiders alike come together to save them. The most interesting part of the story? They're three whales that are in need of saving.

The movie is very loosely based on the true story of a young family of three California Grey Whales that, for reasons unknown to this day, found themselves a little further north than they should have been and later than they should have been. Grey Whales spend their summer in Alaska feeding in the northerner seas, before returning back to California in the winter to hang ten. When Inupiat whalers found the three fighting for air in the closing ice, they were surprised as they weren't the whales they expected. The Inupiat leaders wanted to do the humane thing of killing the animals - their people could eat for the winter, and the animals wouldn't slowly die. The greenpeacers and outsiders wouldn't hear of it.

The movie takes a few different turns, instead of the whalers it's a local television reporter (played by John Krasinski) spots the whales while filming a segment on snowmachine "stunts" (which is one of the first "jokes" of the film). But all in all, it's a good hollywood retelling of the story. Ted Danson plays a convincing oil tycoon J.W. McGraw who only helps the whales as a PR Stunt, but finds the bigger picture. Drew Barrymore is greenpeace advocate Rachel Kramer - and it's not a stretch of a role for her fighting for "animal rights" and skewing the other side. Most enjoyable are Ahmaogak Sweeney who plays Nathan - the boy who wants to see the world, but comes to realize he has so much more in his little home of Barrow - and John Pingayak playing Malik, Nathan's grandfather and an elder of the Inupiat tribe in Barrow.

Pingayak, a native to Rural Alaska - though not Barrow - seems to be made to play his role. Malik is all about teaching his grandson the ways of Alaskan life, and like many elders is frustrated that all Nathan wants is to move away from tradition and rural life for the "adventure" that the outside boasts. Malik sees Adam Carlson (Krasinski) as a representation of the bastardization of his people. The white man who comes in with his fancy gadgets and woos the youth away from tradition for something "better." Krasinski and Sweeney's chemestry on screen was believable and fun. Carlson is Nathan's mentor of sorts, his key to the outside world. As much as Nathan learns from Carlson, however, Carlson equally learns from Nathan and Malik. Carlson contends heavily for their way of life to the other big wigs surrounding the whale debate, all the while playing a voice of reason to all.

Alaskans will love the jabs to the outsiders - film crews come illprepared for the temperatures, and the natives take advantage. There are many "Where's Waldo" moments where you find local celebrities as extras/small roles. Pretty sure, too, that most - if not all - Alaskans have at least one person in the movie that they know personally. The Alaskan extras are featured mightily. (I saw a former coworker and she was the ONLY ONE in the shot!) To see the Alaskan life featured in such a positive - non stereotypical way - is refreshing in film.

The film is not Oscar material - though I would contend that the CGI whales are some of the best graphics out there - it's your typical February fare, but it's feel good. The audience clapped for the whales, and I'll admit I choked up. My movie buddy of the day - no, not my dad - teared up. Chances are it's a kleenex worthy movie. Be warned. It's not War Horse rip your heart out, but it still has the emotional impact one gets when animals are in trouble and "need our help."

This film will definitely make it into the collection - if for no other reason that it was filmed entirely in Alaska, or that I just love John Krasinski. Is it a must see in theaters? Probably not, but what else are you going to do this month? I'd watch it for no other reason than the end when they show the actual footage next to the movie footage to show you the "real people" of the story. You'll see just how OFF hollywood can be, and then how spot on they are. And, there's a "cameo" by Sarah [would be later in life] Palin. That got the entire audience going!

Congratulations Cim Smyth

Cim won the Tustumena 200 Sunday evening coming in just minutes ahead of Jeff King. The two teams were neck and neck the entire way. It made it exciting for those of us on the trail as well as I'm sure those watching at home via the trackers.

There are three mushers still out on the trail and getting closer to the finish line. It ain't over yet, but I came home after Jodi Bailey made it in due to the fact that my dad needed to get home and get to bed. Which is where I should be, instead of editing photos. I need a new strategy for this sort of job for next year. I'm learning.

So I leave you with a pic of the winner coming into the finish line. Instead of getting them as they crossed - because I knew others with T200 would be there - I decided to shoot them coming up to the finish on a lake they had to cross. Made for some great wilderness shots. There are some good spots that I want to try to get to next year, if I'm not FREEZING like I was this year. As I said it's a learning experience this year!

I would update

but I'm exhausted. the event has been a blast but it is FREEZING. They keep saying tomorrow should be warmer... yeah, right.

anyway, for those posting on my blog asking about DeeDee - she lost her dog about six miles into the race and she scratched to go and look for Ophiela. Thankfully just a few hours ago the dog was recovered! Follow the race on http://www.tustumenta200.com and on their facebook!

Four drop out of T200, slots open for last minute registration.

Organizers for the T200 posted via facebook yesterday that four teams had withdrawn from the race. Since the checkpoints had already been set up to handle twenty teams, they have openned registration for last minute mushers to take the - now unused - spots. Registration remains as a $200 fee and closes Friday when the mandatory vet check and musher's meeting is set to begin.

Teams that withdrew are Jessie Hendricks, Zoya Denure - citing health issues, but she also posted on facebook that they were having vehicle trouble, and the Clarkes - who hit a moose earlier this week, totalling their dog truck! General registration closed on Monday with a final entry by Colleen Robertia a local Kasilof musher and veteran of the race (as well as the Quest and Iditarod).

Vet Check begins tomorrow at noon at the Aspen Hotel in Soldotna, with a musher's meeting to follow. The race takes off at 9 am on Saturday with the Junior T followed at 11am by the main event. The race begins at Mile 112 of the Sterling Hwy.


**Please note that while I am going to be shooting as the volunteer photographer for the event nothing I post is an official communication with the race. Follow them via their website, facebook and twitter for official updates during the race. I will tweet and post photos as internet and time allows over the weekend. The organizers will try to post my photos of the start as soon as I get them to them.**

T200 Musher Roster up to twenty names. Deadline today.

2012 winning cover art drawn by local student. So cute!

With the 2012 Tustumena 200 set to begin on Saturday (January 28), fans of mushing and the race itself are eagerly awaiting the release of the official roster. Race coordinators have done an amazing job keeping fans updated via their website and their facebook page. The deadline to sign up for this year's race is today, Monday January 23.

On the list of mushers this year are four time Iditarod Champion Jeff King - who just last year was "retired" from racing - and Alaskan favorite DeeDee Jonrowe. Peninsula musher Paul Gebhardt, and 2011 Iditarod runner up Cim Smyth are also competing. Gebhardt just finished the Kuskokwim 300 yesterday in third place and earlier in the season Jeff King won the Sheep Mountain 150. The Junior T boasts a whopping four entrants, including last year's winner Conway Seavey. Seavey's dad, Mitch, is the 2004 Iditarod Chamion and his older brother Dallas won the 2011 Yukon Quest.

Word from the trail says it is in the best condition it's been in years, and the new checkpoints are getting a lot of positive feedback. The one downside is that Clam Gulch, a mainstay for the race, will not be a check point this year. Originally Clam Gulch was a stop, but an announcement was made late last week that there would be changes to the proposed trail. New to the race this year, and going back to the race's roots, is the check point in Homer. Other check points include Oil Well and Freddie's Roadhouse in Caribou Hills - which will serve as the halfway layover. Homer will also have a mandatory layover during both legs of the race.

Vet checks are Friday afternoon, the junior race begins at 9am in Kasilof, the 200 will follow at 11am.

Movie Review: War Horse

Whenever Steven Spielberg is in the director's chair you're guaranteed a nearly flawless storytelling. War Horse is no exception. The care to the story that movies goers have come to expect, as well as amazing cinematography, is ever present.

If we've learned anything over the course of Spielberg's career, it's that he knows how to tell a story. That he can so easily manipulate an entire theater's emotions is part of his gift. He's warmed our hearts with an alien's love and friendship with a young boy (E.T.), given rebirth to our inner child (Jurassic Park), and brought the horrors of World War 2 to our consciousness.

Based on the novel by the same title, as well as the London Theatre play; War Horse follows the story of Alby, a boy on the cusp of adulthood, and Joey, his horse. In order to save the family farm, the young man sells the horse without warning to a British Cavalry Captain preparing to go off to battle with the Germans in World War 1. In a heart wrenching scene, the young captain promises Alby that he will do his very best to return Joey as soon as the conflict is over. Alby bids Joey farewell promising him that he will find him and they will be together again.

For the next two hours or so the audience is bombarded with emotion packed scenes both beautiful and grotesque. Joey changes hands - and sides - multiple times, and is on the edge of death more times that one can count. For most of the film, the audience sees the story from Joey's perspective. We see him make friends with a fellow war horse, and sacrifice himself for his friend. We see him learn things that no one believes him capable. We see Joey do what many would only describe as "the impossible."

Highlight for spoilers:

I am not a cryer. I know I say that and then two of the last movie reviews I've done have me tearing up or uncontrollable tears. But I've never had raking sobs in a movie theater. I'd heard about them in relation to Schindler's List or Titanic (the first one I get why, second one I still can't take seriously) and always wondered why people couldn't control it. How they could let themselves be so emotional in public.

Let me tell you, I now understand. When your emotions are so manipulated by a master director or story writer, you have no control. The climatic scene of Joey's friend losing his life (not Alby, but a fellow horse) and Joey's running away to the No Man's Land Scene had me in hysterics. I had never felt the need to just cry... at a movie. I couldn't watch, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't sleep after the movie was over and I'd been home for a couple of hours. The last 45 minutes is not for the faint of heart. Bleeding hearts don't stand a chance. My best friend cried through the whole film. As did my mother.

While the war scenes are not as graphic as Saving Private Ryan, the violence towards animals are graphic. The violence towards humans is not near a dramatic as that of Schindler's List, but the horrors that the horses of WW1 faced are. Animal lovers in general, and horse enthusiasts in particular, will have many problems watching this movie for that reason. Horses are brutalized by the German soldiers, and are killed in a faulty ambush by the British.

Overall, this is Spielberg's finest piece to date. He very rarely takes a step backwards, and each serious piece is just a training run for the next big piece. That War Horse did not get the Golden Globe is a travesty. This is a must see for all movie goers.

Extremely cold weather and bad trail cancel Copper Basin 300

With tempertures dropping drastically this weekend in much of Alaska, and a reportedly ungroomed trail in place, the Copper Basin 300 for 2012 has been cancelled as of this morning. The announcement was made after racing was suspended late last night when it was revealed that a section of the trail had not been properly established and temperatures were down to -40F or more. Racers were allowed to continue racing up to the checkpoint where the announcement was made. Officials waited until first light to make the call that the CB300 would not continue.

At 9:30am Alaska Time, Race Marshal Greg Parvin released this statement:

"The 2012 Copper Basin 300 has been cancelled at Meier's Lake, 75 miles into the race. Heavy snows and high winds obliterated the middle section of the trail; the race trail is impassable. Furthermore, temperatures have consistently ranged between 45 and 50 degrees below zero. The decision was made in the interest of the dogs, mushers and race staff."

Some have posted on the race's facebook page and their personal pages their take on what led to the cancellation. A musher not running in the race, but lives in the general area, was very vocal on the page stating that current weather conditions were not the factor, and that poor trail management was. They stated on the CB300 Facebook page that both she and her husband were concerned to find out that they were not planning to groom the trail until the day of the race. Knowing the area and how much snow they had, they new the trail would be hard to break - especially the section from Meier's Lake to Sourdough.

Former volunteers and locals also complained at the way the breaking of the trail was handled. The man in charge of trail conditions reported earlier in the week that the trail was deep and that the weather had made it difficult, but that they had a solid base on the trail. Posters on the page today - not volunteers or officially involved with the race this season - contested that idea saying that the trail had not been properly marked or put in. A local musher seemed to confirm this in their own posts.

Temperature alone would not factor into a cancellation. Both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod see temperatures of -30 and -40 below and continue on. Reports by locals and mushers alike don't seem to mention blowing winds or snow. It seems the main difficulty is the trail itself and how ungroomed it was. While it is true that in races like the Iditarod and Yukon Quest also deal with weather created messes along the trail, when mushers are not expecting an ungroomed trail it does become discouraging.

Also discouraging is how much money is lost by the teams. While the race has refunded part of the $400 entry fee to each team, that does not account for the travel and food and lodging expenses to the mushers and their handlers. Some mushers shared their "unofficial" disappointment at having to pull out. The race is also used as a qualifier for both the Quest and the Iditarod for rookie mushers, and is one of the most competitive middistance races. Many Quest and Iditarod teams use it as a final big run before the long distance races begin. It gives everyone a chance to assess their team and their chances.

Most teams are travelling today from Meier's Lake on their way back to their home bases today.